Read More

This was a big leap for the company and could have resulted in considerable change in its structure and its culture.

Mr Porter said the move “hasn’t changed the business in many ways which is actually what we wanted”.

He said: “It was really important not to change our culture. Our culture is quite special; it’s a good mix of entrepreneurialism and corporate.

“The business has grown up over 30 years with real entrepreneurial spirit, but also over the years it has been about professionalising the business, raising the bar, which has manifested itself in terms of the clarity of our growth and opportunity and also the journey we’ve been on from the business being private equity-backed to the Initial Public Offering (IPO).

“So I would say, apart from my job, for other people in the business life hasn’t changed since the IPO.”

Joules’ performance since its listing has been remarkable.

Turnover jumped nearly 20 per cent jump to £157 million in the year to the end of May, while profits leapt by 34 per cent to more than £10 million.

Read More

Its shares have also enjoyed a steady rise, from 193.5p on flotation to 282p towards the end of last week.

It seems investors, as well as shoppers, are happy.

Even the City analysts who follow the company’s fortunes are pretty much unanimous about its prospects, with the vast majority rating the firm’s shares a “strong buy”.

And this is despite Mr Porter’s refusal to conform to the retail industry norm of publishing sales performance on a like-for-like basis which ignores sales from newly opened shops.

Mr Porter said: “I am very clear on my view, in that as a business we do not declare our like-for-like measure.

“I just don’t think it’s relevant because, for a business of our type, a multi-channel business that sells online, wholesale to John Lewis, on other people’s websites – and we have stores and we have shows – so then to talk about like-for-like as one measure is not a measure of success for the business.

“Our strengths are fundamentally the brand first and foremost, in that we are a distinctive brand with our own brand values.

“It is all about the family, our Britishness and doing things with a sense of humour.

“Our unique differential is about colour and print and about being uplifting.

“So I think the fact that we are different gives customers a reason to come to us and engage with the brand and buy the product and that is what has really helped deliver the results and our growth story.”